Hurting You, Killing Me
by KelciLynn
Summary: "I was supposed to be a superhero, and superheroes just don't cry. I'd had my fair share of cuts and bruises over the years, due to hunting ghosts. I'd been seriously maimed and not once had I shed a tear...until that night." If you had to choose between two people that you love, what would you choose?
1. Once Upon A Time

Hurting You, Killing Me

Summary: This is a story about Danny, Johnny, Kitty, and Danielle after "Phantom Planet." Basically, Kitty and Johnny found Danielle after going back into the Ghost Zone. It will most likely switch POV's throughout the story.

**A/N: If you want to write a story similar to this, do your own take on how it should go, I won't throw a hissy fit saying that you **_**stole my idea**_**. Just let me know if you do so that I can read it. Thanks.**

Danielle's POV:

Once upon a time, I was no one. I was useless. I was nothing more than a tool, something to be used and throw away…or in my case, used and melted. When I stopped doing my so-called father's bidding, he wanted me destroyed, and he did everything in his power to see that I was.

I guess I should explain. He wasn't really my father; he was my…well, _creator. _I am a clone of the world famous Danny Phantom. Yeah… here it comes… _I'm _Danielle Masters…rejected daughter of Vlad Masters.

My story is never told and no one really cares. After Vlad tried to destroy me and Danny saved me, I ran off into the Ghost Zone. I'd been living alone in there, trying to make a life for myself, up until the Disasteroid. Danny had needed help and I owed him… of course, I expected him to at least acknowledge my presence once we'd saved the world.

However, he was too busy being congratulated and interviewed, so I went back into the Ghost Zone. It wasn't long before Kitty and Johnny found me. I was alone, crying on a rock when they came across me.

They'd brought me back to their lair and gotten the whole story from me. I expected them to think I was crazy and send me away, back to Danny, or worse, to some sort of orphanage. But…they didn't. They invited me to stay the night and the next morning, they asked me if I wanted to live with them. It's been nearly four years and I've been with them ever since.

I was aware that Danny knew where I was, but it wasn't like he ever tried to get in contact with me, even after Johnny told him what we found out. Johnny had gone into Vlad's lab a few months after I started living with them and had found my files. I guess I'll start there.

Johnny had brought them home one night after he'd gone for a ride. I didn't know what they were at first and I'd never seen Johnny look so upset. He simply took Kitty's arm and led her to their bedroom, closing the door behind them. It wasn't long before I heard them yelling, though I could only make out a few words. I heard my name and something that sounded like "it's her decision," but I wasn't sure.

After a few minutes, Johnny walked back into the living room and sat beside me on the white leather sofa. He slid the manila envelope on to my lap. "Honey," he began, "these are your files. I think you should read them."

I looked up at him, confused, before opening the already broken seal. I pulled out a stack of papers and began to flip through them. At first it was just a bunch of charts and calculations, but then I found what they must have wanted me to see.

I looked up to see Kitty standing in the doorway, a hand pressed over her mouth as though trying to stubbornly stop tears from falling. The paper in my hands didn't make a lot of sense at first; it was just a bunch of words typed closely together, but a few words jumped out at me. **Biological Father of Clone #4: Daniel Fenton. DNA Analysis: 100%**

I gasped and looked up, "What does…?" I trailed off.

Johnny sighed, too, "Danny is your father, Danielle."

"Are you guys…do you want to get rid of me?"

Something that sounded like a sob escaped Kitty's mouth, and then she crossed the room to wrap her arms around me. "No, sweetheart. No," she murmured, stroking my hair.

"We just wanted you to know. It's your decision on whether or not we tell him," Johnny said.

I pulled away from Kitty and looked at Johnny. He seemed to be trying hard to control his facial expressions. "Tell him?" I asked.

"You're his daughter, Danielle," he said gently, reaching over to push a strand of hair from my face.

"He doesn't want anything to do with me anyway," I said.

"So…you don't want to tell him?" Johnny raised his eyebrow at me.

"I…I don't know," I whispered, looking at my hands.

"Well, you don't have to make a decision right now. Why don't we talk about this in the morning?" he suggested.

I nodded and got off the couch to go get ready for bed. I was just bout to crawl into my bed when Kitty tapped lightly on my door. "Come in," I called.

Kitty walked into the room, followed by Johnny. "We just came to tell you goodnight," Kitty said, sitting down on the edge of my bed, leaning over to kiss my forehead.

"We love you, Danielle," Johnny said. He stroked my hair and pulled my blanket up around me.

"I love you, too," I said.

Kitty turned off my lamp and they walked out, closing my door behind them.

I tried to go to sleep, but I just couldn't. I kept thinking about the fact that Danny was my biological father. I mean, of course, before everything that had happened, I'd kind of thought of him as my father. But even then I knew that he would never be my dad. He didn't care enough about me to even come after me.

I loved living with Kitty and Johnny. I finally felt safe and happy. They didn't make me feel like I was just a disposable copy of someone else. They didn't sit there and constantly compare me to Danny. They loved me for me…but there was still a part of me that still wanted Danny to know how I felt, a part of me that wanted him to accept me.

I made a decision that night, lying in my room. I would let Johnny and Kitty tell him the truth.


	2. Johnny's Little Girl

Hurting You, Killing Me

Chapter Two:

**A/N: Danielle's age is a complicated thing to work with. I always thought she looked about eleven, (I know the show says twelve), so I went with that. The aging process I'm using is about a year every two years.**

Johnny's POV:

When Danielle told us that she wanted to tell Danny about her files, I couldn't help but be a little bit worried. When I'd first found them, curiosity had gotten the best of me and I'd read them before getting home. Of course, I always knew that Danny probably would be considered her father, seeing as she was his clone, but based on Vlad's calculations… Danielle had 100% Danny's DNA. There was no denying that he was her father.

Kitty and I got into a fight before we showed them to Danielle. I figured that she ought to know the truth, but Kitty was scared that it would only upset her, or worse, make her want to leave us to go be with him. I was scared, too, but it wouldn't have been fair to hide that kind of information from Danielle.

The thing is, Kitty and I loved her, loved her to the point that we were actually considering adopting her. Something about her changed everything. She was so sweet and innocent. We just wanted to protect her. Not only were we scared of losing her when she decided to tell Danny about the files, but we were also scared of him hurting her.

When we first found her, she hadn't wanted to go back to Danny, though we offered to take her. After Kitty got Danielle to sleep that first night, I went to find Danny. He was busy with Sam, her being his new girlfriend and whatnot. I'd told him that we had Danielle and wanted to know if he wanted her back.

It was strange, really. A look of concern crossed his face and then Sam elbowed him gently. He looked down then, almost guiltily, and then told me that he didn't want her. I got a little upset with him, telling him that he was stupid. When I left, I went back to mine and Kitty's lair. Kitty was waiting up for me, seeming just a little surprised that Danny wasn't with me.

I told her what had happened and that's when she and I made the decision to keep Danielle with us.

When I'd gone to find her files, I hadn't been trying to start trouble. Danielle wasn't aging right, and though we figured it was just due to her unstable nature, Kitty and I decided that we should check her files just to be safe. Of course, we were right. Her aging process would never be quite right. Even now, four years later, she only looked barely thirteen, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

When Danielle told us that she wanted Danny to know, the three of us sat down and had a huge talk. I asked Danielle if she wanted to come with me when I talked to Danny, but she didn't want to. I can't say that I blamed her. She knew very well that Danny knew just where she was and he'd never come to see her. He called sometimes, maybe once or twice a month, and checked in with me or Kitty to see how she was doing. Those conversations were short, though, as we were both incredibly pissed about how he'd treated her.

Kitty suggested that she and Danielle go shopping with Ember at the Ghost Zone mall while I went to talk to Danny. I knew that she just wanted to get Danielle's mind off of Danny for awhile, so I put up with the fact that I knew Ember would be at the lair when I got home, hugged Kitty and Danielle goodbye, and then walked out to the garage where my motorcycle was waiting.

When I was sure that Kitty and Danielle had left, I pulled out my cellphone to call Danny.

"Hello?" he answered quietly.

"Look, there something I need to talk to you about regarding Danielle."

"Is she okay?"

"Yes."

"Can this…wait?"

"Can you put Danielle first for once in your life?!" I snapped.

"Okay, okay," he relented. "Meet me at my house in about fifteen minutes."

I grunted in response and hung up, gunning the engine on the bike.

When I arrived at FentonWorks, I wasn't surprised to find Sam waiting outside with Danny, hanging off his arm and glaring at me. I ignored her and killed the bike.

Danny opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, I shoved Danielle's files roughly into his hands. "Those are Danielle's files. That paper on top is the only one important. I think you should take a look at it," I told him.

He listened to me for once and pulled the paper out. I watched his face as he read them, with Sam reading over his shoulder. After a moment, a look of shock crossed his face, as a look of complete anger replaced Sam's look of annoyance.

"What?" he choked out in a whisper.

"You're her father. She…_we_ thought you should know."

"I-I…" he trailed off and looked at Sam. She rolled her eyes and stomped angrily into the house, slamming the door behind her.

"Let me guess, you can't give Danielle the time of day because it'll piss your girlfriend off?"

"Johnny, that's not fair…"

"That's it, though, isn't it? You can't even fathom standing up to her, not even for your own daughter."

"Sam was in my life first."

"If she cared about you as much as you seem to think she does, she wouldn't be keeping you away from Danielle like this."

"She isn't… I could."

"She is. And it doesn't matter what you _could_ do because you _won't_ do it. Look, you just stay out of Danielle's life. She doesn't need you." With that, I snatched the papers out of his hand and rode off, leaving him with a forlorn expression on his face. I didn't care anymore. He had hurt my little girl for the last time.


	3. Choices

Hurting You, Killing Me

Chapter Three:

Danny's POV:

I couldn't help but hate myself just a little. Johnny was right; I _couldn't_ fathom standing up to Sam. I always knew that she didn't really like Danielle and, at first, I thought it was just because Danielle had started out on Vlad's side. But, after what I'd seen today, I knew that wasn't it.

After Johnny left, I went inside to find Sam in my bedroom, pacing angrily with her arms crossed over her chest. "Sam?" I asked cautiously.

She whirled around to face me, "What?" she snapped, her voice dangerously low.

"Why are you so upset about this?"

"Because ever since that little _brat_ came into your life, you've been completely absorbed by her! You know all she ever did was try to take you down!"

"She was being used by Vlad!"

"She didn't listen to you, Danny! And every time she comes into your life, she just makes things worse!"

"You saw what those papers said!"

"Yeah, that she was a _freak_ that should never have been created! She's a science experiment gone wrong!"

"Sam…" I began.

"No," she cut me off. "It's me or her! Make your choice!"

I sighed. I didn't want to lose Sam, and I knew that Danielle was safe with Johnny and Kitty. "You know I'll always choose you."

Sam's scowl turned into a smile and she crossed the room to wrap her arms around me. I hugged her back, but I couldn't feel anything. I was scared to know what Johnny was going to tell Danielle, and I was terrified of what she was going to think of me. She was my daughter… and I'd just lost her for good…


	4. Ours

Hurting You, Killing Me

Chapter Four:

Kitty's POV:

When Johnny and I found Danielle, we had no intention of keeping her. Once we found out that she was Danny's clone, we knew we should get her to him. Johnny and I had never really hated Danny. Even now we don't hate him, we have no respect for him, but we don't hate him. He was stupid to let Sam dictate his choices regarding Danielle.

Within the first few months of having Danielle live with us, she'd become our world. Johnny and I couldn't have kids, due to the fact that we were ghosts. I loved Johnny and he loved me, but sometimes that just didn't seem like enough. We had friends, we went out, but something was always missing…Until we found her.

She completed our little family. Johnny and I spoiled her. We decorated her bedroom in crème and dark red, making it the room of a princess. She had her own bathroom, which was designed in pink and white. I took her shopping and bought her frilly dresses, things that she wouldn't have normally worn or even thought that she would like. Within the first month or so, I took her to have pictures done. There were frames all over the house that had pictures of her in them, ones of her by herself, ones of her with Johnny, and ones of her with me. Anyone who came in the lair would be able to tell that our world revolved around her.

Johnny and I went out of our way to show her that she wasn't just a clone. When she told us that she no longer liked NASA and Dumpty Humpty, we encouraged her to find things that she _did_ like, things that made her unique. I was thrilled when she stopped wearing her hair in ponytails.

One day, she came into the living room and asked us to quit calling her Dani. She said she didn't want to go by that anymore, she wanted to be Danielle. Johnny and I agreed. We hated to see her upset over Danny.

When Johnny told me that Danny didn't want her, he and I had talked for hours, trying to decide what to tell her. Finally, we decided that it would be unfair to keep it from her. The next morning, we explained as gently as we could what Danny had said, then invited her to stay with us. Johnny and I had been thrilled when she agreed.

I knew that Danny wouldn't be thrilled when he found out that Danielle was his biological daughter, but I'd hoped. The day that Johnny went to go talk to him, I called Ember and had her come with me and Danielle to the mall in the Ghost Zone. I didn't want Danielle to sit at home all day worrying about what could happen.

The three of us spent a few hours at the mall. I bought Danielle a new dress, a new pair of shoes, and a jean jacket. After we left the mall, the three of us went out to eat, letting Danielle pick the restaurant. Finally, we went home. Johnny was sitting on the sofa when we walked in.

Ember had come with us, but only stayed long enough to say hi to Johnny and bye to me and Danielle. The look on Johnny's face wasn't very welcoming and I couldn't say that I blamed her for not wanting to hang around.

I handed Danielle her shopping bags and asked her to take them to her room, trying to buy a few seconds alone with Johnny. "Well?" I mouthed, raising my eyebrows.

He crossed the room and lowered his voice drastically, "Sam threw a bitch-fit and he wimped out. I told him off and told him to stay out of her life. I'm tired of him hurting her, Kitty. I'm not letting him do that again."

I nodded, putting a finger to my lips as I saw Danielle walking back down the hall. "How did it go?" she asked, sitting down on the chair next to the couch.

Johnny looked at me and I looked down. After an awkward moment, Johnny knelt down next to her, taking both her hands in one of his, using his other hand to brush hair back away from her face. "You know that no matter what Danny thinks Kitty and I will always be here, right?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, her breath catching in her throat.

"And you know that we love you?"

She nodded, "What did he say?"

"He…well, it didn't go over well…" Johnny sighed.

"_Why_ am I not surprised?" Danielle said, tears filling her eyes. "He never has cared about me! Why should I ever expect that to change? He should have just let Vlad destroy me!"

I watched as Johnny pulled her off the chair and into his arms, sitting on the floor with her on his lap. She buried her face in his shoulder and sobbed.

"Danielle, sweetheart, if Danny can't see what he's missing, then he doesn't deserve you. I promise you, Danielle, you will always have me and Kitty," he murmured.

I sat down beside them on the floor and Johnny wrapped one of his arms around me, pulling me into the hug. Danielle's crying finally subsided and she pulled back. Her face was flushed and still streaked with dry tears, but she smiled at us. "I love you guys," she said.

"We love you, too," I told her. "Danielle, you are our whole world." Johnny kissed the top of her head.

Danielle stood up and disappeared into her room for awhile. I went into the kitchen to get started on dinner, while Johnny went out to the garage to work on his bike. I knew he was still pissed off at Danny, but so was I, so I couldn't point fingers. Once dinner was ready, I called Johnny in. He went to get Danielle while I set the table.

I was laying down napkins when he walked back into the room, so quiet that I hadn't even heard him. "Kitty," he said right in my ear.

I jumped a bit and spun around, "You scared me! Where's Danielle?"

He laughed, "That's what I came in here for. Come here."

I followed him down to Danielle's bedroom and peaked into the door. She had fallen asleep, holding the heart necklace I'd given her in her hand.

I smiled and Johnny wrapped his arm around me, drawing me to his side. "She's ours," I whispered to him.

It was only a few months later that we decided to adopt her.


	5. Rejection

Hurting You, Killing Me

Chapter Five:

Danielle's POV:

I shouldn't have been surprised at all when Johnny told me that Danny didn't take it well. Danny never had been good with his feelings to begin with; I shouldn't have thought that he would be able to accept that he had a daughter.

I felt bad for getting so upset in front of Johnny and Kitty. I knew they were trying hard to make sure that I knew they loved me. They had been so understanding of everything. I appreciated their effort, I really did. There were pictures of me everywhere and they bought me anything I could possibly want.

But…I still wanted Danny to be my father. With Kitty and Johnny, I just felt like I was stepping in and imposing on their little family. It had been just the two of them for so long; I didn't want to intrude, even though they assured me I wasn't.

All those countless nights I'd spent alone in the Ghost Zone, all I'd wanted was Danny. I cried for him almost every night. I was so happy when he needed help saving the world; I thought that maybe he would invite me to stay with him, even if only as his cousin. But he didn't, he completely ignored me.

I just didn't understand it; he'd seemed so upset when he thought I melted. He honestly looked like he'd lost a child, but then…he let me go. He didn't care…

I guess I'd fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew, Johnny and Kitty were waking me up for dinner. I stretched and followed them into the dining room, taking my usual seat, across from Kitty and to the left of Johnny.

Kitty sat a plate down in front of me, along with a glass of milk. I took a sip and ate a few bites, but mostly just pushed my food around with a fork. "Are you okay, Danielle?" Kitty asked.

I looked up to find her staring at me in concern. "Yeah. I'm fine," I replied, pushing my hair back behind my ears.

"Okay…" she said, but she didn't seem convinced.

After the plates had been cleared away, Kitty brought out a chocolate cake, my favorite. She gave me the first piece she cut, a huge piece with a ton of frosting. I forced a smile, but only managed to eat a few bites.

I could tell that they were worried about me and that was only making me feel worse. I sighed, "Maybe…maybe I should just go away…"

"What?" Kitty asked, dropping her fork.

"I don't want to…be a burden on you guys anymore."

"Danielle, where is this coming from?" Johnny asked, reaching over and placing his hand over mine.

"I'm a freak. Nobody wants me. I shouldn't even exist."

"That is not true," Kitty said. "You're not a freak and we want you. We want you here with us, so we can keep you safe."

"I'm just causing you guys trouble. I was fine before..."

"Danielle, do you _want_ to leave?" Johnny asked.

"No, but I-"

"You don't want to cause us trouble?" I nodded, looking down, and Johnny continued. "Danielle, you don't have to worry about causing us trouble ever. We want you here. If we didn't, we wouldn't have brought you here in the first place. Don't you ever worry that we don't want you here with us."

"Are you sure?" I asked quietly.

"Absolutely," Kitty answered.

I smiled at them and even managed to finish my cake, but I still couldn't ignore the feeling in the pit of my stomach.

That night, long after we'd all gone to bed, I lay awake, thinking about Danny. I couldn't help but wonder _why_ he was so against me. I honestly was convinced that he loved me. It just didn't seem like him to tell Johnny what he did. I knew Johnny and Kitty weren't lying, but still, I couldn't comprehend why Danny was being the way he was.


	6. Desperation

Hurting You, Killing Me

Chapter Six:

Johnny's POV:

After the little escapade with Danielle's files, Kitty and I tried to limit our contact with Danny. We weren't thrilled with him, for obvious reasons, but frankly, it pissed me off that he kept calling us to check in on her. If he was as brave as the entire world made him out to be, he would stand up to his stupid girlfriend and come see Danielle in person. I honestly couldn't understand how he did it, stayed away from her like that. Even with her only having been in my life for such a short period of time, I still couldn't imagine just abandoning her the way Danny had.

I was angry about what he said when I talked to him, but I was more angry about the way he'd just let her leave after he'd saved her. She was only a little girl and he _had_ to have known that Vlad wouldn't just leave her be. I couldn't see how he lived with himself, how it didn't drive him crazy thinking about all the times when she was alone and had _needed_ him. Maybe I was just overprotective of her; I knew she had been doing fairly well on her own, but I the thought of leaving a little girl to fend for herself the way he'd done made me sick.

Kitty and I had talked it over and decided that we wanted to adopt her. Of course, though, even here in the Ghost Zone, we needed Danny's cooperation. We'd had Danielle for almost six months when we decided to go get the papers from Walker. All we really had to do was sign them, have Danny sign them, and bring them back to Walker. The Ghost Zone laws and rules were so much easier than the human world. But, of course, Danny had to put up a fight.

Early one fall morning, Ember called us to ask if Danielle wanted to go to the movies with her. Danielle didn't know it, but we'd planned this out the night before, long after she'd gone to bed.

After Ember took Danielle, Kitty and I went to Walker's jail, where we'd told Danny to meet us, alone, the night before. He was already there when we showed up and he didn't look particularly happy.

"What's going on?" he asked, standing up as we walked into Walker's office. "Where's Danielle?"

"She's with Ember. We need to talk to you about Danielle."

"Have a seat," Walker said. Kitty and I sat down in the two chairs on the left of Danny. Walker took out an envelope and pulled out a stack of papers. "Danny, Kitty and Johnny want to legally adopt Danielle. In order for them to do this, you have to sign off on it, seeing as your Danielle's only biological parent."

"What?!" Danny asked, jumping out of his seat. He whipped around to glare at me and Kitty. "You want to adopt her? You…you can't adopt her! She's mine!"

"Danny, you won't have anything to do with her!" Kitty said.

"She's still mine," Danny spat.

"She isn't yours. She's never been yours. You let her go," I said through clenched teeth.

Walker happened to speak up then, before Danny could say something dumb and I throttled him. "Danny, look, from what they've told me, you never have anything to do with her, is that true?"

Danny sat back down in his seat slowly, rubbing the back of his neck, "Well…yeah."

"Wouldn't it be best if they had custody over her, considering the fact that they're raising her?"

"Can't they have partial custody?" Danny asked in a quiet voice. If I hadn't known the situation better, had I been someone on the outside, I would have sworn that I heard desperation in his voice.

"In most cases, an adoption means that the original parent gives up their parental rights…"

"Please…?" Danny pleaded.

"I suppose…if Johnny and Kitty have no problems with it."

I looked at Kitty and she shrugged, so I spoke up, "Fine. It's not like you'll ever actually be there for her anyway."

Walker signed a few papers and then handed them to me. "You and Kitty sign here," he said, pointing to a blank line.

Kitty and I signed it; then Walker gave it to Danny. After he signed, his hand shaking as he did, Walker handed me the paper that stated that Kitty and I were Danielle's legal parents.

After we thanked Walker, Kitty and I left, but I could help but look back at Danny. He seemed so defeated. If this had been any other situation, I would have had sympathy for him, but he'd made this decision himself. It was his own fault and I couldn't worry about him, I had to do what was best for Danielle.


	7. Tears

Hurting You, Killing Me

Chapter Seven:

Danny's POV:

The night I went home, after signing away over half my parental rights on Danielle, I actually cried. Mind you, I hadn't cried since I was a little kid. I was supposed to be a superhero, and superheroes just don't cry. I'd had my fair share of cuts and bruises over the years, due to hunting ghosts. I'd been seriously maimed and not once had I shed a tear…until that night.

I went home after Johnny and Kitty left Walker's jail. I turned my cellphone on silent and locked the door to my room. I didn't want to be around anyone. I ignored my parents when they knocked on my door. I ignored my phone, which continued to light up with text messages from Sam, Tucker, and Jazz.

I lay flat on my back on my bed, staring at the ceiling and didn't even notice I was crying until I felt the moisture running from the corners of my eyes. For a little bit, I tried to man up and stop the tears, squinting my eyes shut and biting my lip. But…after awhile, I didn't care anymore. I rolled onto my side and pulled my knees to my chest, allowing the tears to stream down my face as sobs escaped my throat.

I felt as though someone had taken a sledgehammer to my heart. My hands were clutched together and pressed against my chest, as though to stop the pain in my heart. My breath was coming in quick, short bursts, and I was shaking like I was cold. I couldn't remember a time when I'd felt so heartbroken.

Of course, when that had happened, I knew nothing of all the heartache that would come in the next few years. Signing over my rights to Kitty and Johnny had been one of the hardest things I'd ever done, but in the end, I knew it was best. I was awful. I was ashamed of myself. I wasn't there for her and they were. They deserved to call themselves her parents; I didn't.

Even though I should have felt thankful that Kitty and Johnny had taken her in, I couldn't help but be jealous of them. I would have loved to have been able to watch Danielle grow up, to be there for her when she needed me, but I couldn't' force myself to give up Sam for that.

I guess I was blind; I should have been able to see how much Sam had changed, but I couldn't and I guess I really didn't care.

At the time, Tucker only knew bits and pieces of what was going on. I'm sure he was convinced that my choice to not see Danielle was completely up to me. It wasn't until almost a year later that I finally confessed what had been going on. After that, even he tried to tell me that Sam had changed, but I didn't listen.

I've grown to learn that I'm too stubborn and clueless for my own good.


	8. The Christmas Party

Hurting You, Killing Me

Chapter Seven:

Johnny's POV:

After having the papers signed, Kitty and I decided that it would be best to wait until Christmas and surprise her, seeing as Christmas was only a few weeks away. Kitty and I were planning on spoiling her, saving the adoption papers as the last present she opened.

Of course, we didn't think about the Christmas treaty _or _the fact that _every_ ghost would be at the big party on Christmas eve. I had never really liked going to those parties, but Kitty always talked me into it.

Kitty and I had gone shopping for her presents a few weeks before and, as expected, we were going to spoil her. I even managed to find a bracelet with a motorcycle charm on it; it was dainty and silver, and I hoped she would like it.

Like usual, I tried to get out of going to the Christmas party. "Kitty, we go every year and it's always the same thing," I said, sprawled out of the sofa while Kitty braided Danielle's hair.

"Johnny, Danielle's never been to one of these. If she doesn't like it, we'll leave early, I promise."

I lifted my head off the arm of the sofa and looked over to my girls. Danielle was wearing a white high-necked dress with a red lace collar and a pair of black high-heeled boots. Kitty had gone back to humming while she braided. I couldn't help but smile, "Alright," I sighed.

Once Danielle's hair was finished, Kitty handed her a black jacket, and we went out to the garage. Kitty and I placed Danielle between us and we took off the the party.

It was already in full swing by the time we arrived and almost everyone was there. There was punch and eggnog, snacks, and lots of loud music. Some people were dancing, some were lounging on the couches and beanbag chairs. Danielle scooted a bit closer to me and Kitty as we walked in.

I spotted Skulker and Ember sitting on a couch on one side of the room and led Danielle and Kitty over to them. Once we got there, I saw that Youngblood, Spectra, and Bertrand were also there. Ember stood up and walked over to us, leaning in to me and Kitty. "Heads up, Danny and Sam got here just a few minutes ago." She glanced over to the other side of the room. I looked over and saw Danny, in ghost form, with Sam on his arm, wearing a black dress. They were talking to Pandora. Danny caught eyes with me; I shot him a glare and looked away, wrapping my arm around Danielle and pulling her to my side.

I really hoped that Danny was smart enough to keep his distance, because I wasn't completely opposed to breaking the Christmas treaty if he thought it would be a good idea to say something to hurt her. After a little bit, Danielle struck up a conversation with Youngblood and strayed away from us. I kept an eye on her, making sure she didn't go too far away from us or get too close to Danny.

It was starting to get late and Youngblood, being younger than Danielle, was starting to get tired. He, we learned, was staying with Ember. He came over and leaned against her shoulder, until finally, she sighed and decided it was time to get him home to his pirate ship.

Kitty by the punch bowl, talking to Spectra, so Danielle came to sit beside me. I shot a glance across the room to where Danny and Sam were sitting, talking to Walker. Danny looked at me and turned away. He whispered something to Sam, who looked pissed off, then he stood up and walked over.

"Shit," I muttered under my breath. Skulker shot me a look, but I shook my head. Danny stopped in front of us, but he seemed like he was in shock. He stared at Danielle for a moment, then seemed to gather his thoughts.

"Merry Christmas, Danielle," he said, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

Danielle looked up at me, then looked at Danny. I was impressed by her, the way she looked him straight in the eye, the way her voice stayed loud and strong, "Merry Christmas, Danny."

Danny rubbed the back of his neck and looked down, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small red box. He thrust it awkwardly toward her and she reached out to take it. "Here. It's not a big deal, so just...open it when you get...home."

"Thanks," Danielle said, slipping the box into her jacket pocket.

Danny stood there for another awkward moment, before nodding at me and Skulker, and walking back to Sam.

Skulker looked at me, raising his eyebrows, and I just rolled my eyes. I was a little bit worried about whatever might be in that box. I noticed Danielle was getting sleepy, so I stood up. "Honey, you wait here with Skulker for a minute, I'm going to get Kitty, so that we can leave."

Danielle nodded and I walked over to Kitty, "Hey," I said, interrupting the conversation she was in with Spectra. "Danny just gave Danielle a present."

"What?" Kitty asked, her jaw dropping slightly.

"He told her to open it when we got home."

"Well, did he say anything else?"

"No, but she's getting tired. I think we should get her home."

Kitty nodded, "You're right. Bye Spectra."

"Bye, guys," Spectra replied.

I walked over to where I'd left Danielle with Skulker to find her half asleep, slouched against him. I laughed at his expression as I lifted her up into my arms. "Time to go home," I told her.

I said goodbye to Skulker and the three of us went home. When we got to the lair, Danielle sat down on the couch and took the box out of her pocket. She sighed, fiddling with the ribbon, "I guess I should open it..."

"You don't have to if you don't want to," I said, shrugging.

Kitty sat down beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, "You might as well open it and get it over with."

Danielle pulled the ribbon, letting it fall beside her on the couch. Very slowly, she lifted the lid and pulled out a small ice crystal heart. Danny had obviously made it with his ice powers. She held it up to the light and it sparkled, throwing out small rainbows.

"Pretty," Kitty commented.

"Yeah..." Danielle agreed, her eyebrows creasing. She held the crystal closer to her face, then shook her head and dropped it into her lap, rolling her eyes disgustedly.

"What is it, sweetheart?"

"He engraved the word _love_ into it," she said.

I looked at Kitty, hoping that she would handle this, seeing how I didn't trust myself to talk without blowing up about Danny. "At least it was nice gesture," Kitty said.

"I guess. I'm going to go to bed," Danielle replied. She stood up and hugged both me and Kitty goodnight. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Danielle, we love you."

Danielle walked down the hall to her bedroom. I turned off the lights in the living room, leaving only the Christmas tree lights on, and sat down beside Kitty.


	9. Christmas Morning

Hurting You, Killing Me

Chapter Eight:

Kitty's POV:

Christmas morning that first year with Danielle was amazing. I got up early that morning and made a huge breakfast. Johnny woke up first and sat down at the bar with a mug of coffee. Danielle woke up only a little bit later.

"Merry Christmas!" she trilled, walking into the kitchen.

"Merry Christmas, Sweetheart," I said, placing a plate in front of her.

Once she had finished eating, we took her into the living room to let her open her presents. There were tons of them piled up under the Christmas tree. Johnny and I always gave each other our presents on Christmas Eve, so we sat on the sofa while Danielle sat in front of the tree.

Johnny had the camera out and ready to take pictures. "Open whichever one you want," I said.

"You guys really didn't have to do this," Danielle said, her cheeks turning pink. "I didn't even get you guys anything."

"Danielle, you've given us everything by just being here," Johnny said. "Now open your presents."

Danielle smiled and picked up the present closest to her and ripped into it, smiling as she pulled out an art set, complete with an easel, paint, colored pencils, and glitter glue.

By the time she'd finished opening the presents, there was wrapping paper everywhere. All her gifts sat by her side, all but two, that is. She had her art set, some new sweaters, an iPod, a framed photo of the three of us for her bedroom, a lava lap, a teddy bear that Johnny was certain she would love, a snow globe of the Ghost Zone, and a lot of other stuff. "Wow," she said breathlessly. "Thank you guys, so much."

"That's not all," Johnny said. He pulled his present, wrapped in bright gold paper, out from behind his back and handed it to her.

She opened it slowly, gasping as she pulled out the bracelet Johnny had picked out for her. "It's awesome," she said, standing up and throwing her arms around Johnny's neck.

"I'm glad you like it," Johnny said, "but that's still not all."

"What?" Danielle asked, shaking her head. "What else could there be?"

I smiled and handed her the adoption papers. Johnny and I had wrapped them in sparkling red wrapping paper. Danielle raised her eyebrows, but opened them. Johnny had the camera ready and caught the look on her face as she realized what they meant.

Her eyes filled with tears and a huge smile broke out on her face. "You guys... you... adopted me?"

I nodded, and Johnny and I were both fully prepared when she threw her arms around us, hugging us tightly as she sobbed. I smiled at Johnny over Danielle's head, knowing he felt the same way I did; our little family was finally complete.


	10. Headache

Hurting You, Killing Me

Chapter Nine:

Danny's POV:

I knew that the ice crystal heart was probably a bad idea, and I knew that putting the word _love_ on it was probably an even worse idea, but I had to do it. That night at the party had been so difficult for me. Seeing Danielle, seeing the way she looked at Johnny and Kitty, especially the way they looked at her. Like she was the center of their world. I was jealous in ways I couldn't even begin to understand.

Danielle _should_ have been _my_ world, but I was so stupid. Sam was so pissed at me last night. She hadn't known that I'd given Danielle a crystal, but she'd known that I went to talk to her. After we got home that night, I'd gotten an earful from her.

"What the hell, Danny?" she asked, storming upstairs to my room.

"What?" I asked.

"Why can't you just leave her alone? She doesn't need you anyway!"

"I-I don't know, Sam. I care about her."

"Care about her? She's _nothing_ to you and you're nothing to her!"

"Sam, she's my daughter!" I snapped.

"She's your _what_?" Sam laughed coldly. "She isn't your daughter, Danny, and you know it."  
"But..."

"Danny. I don't care what those stupid papers say, Danielle isn't your daughter."

"Fine, Sam, fine!" I said, throwing my hands in the air, unwillingly to argue with her any longer.

"I'll see you later. I need to get home." She kissed my cheek and walked out of my room. As soon as my door shut behind her, I face-planted into my bed.

I still remember what Tucker had said when he found out everything that had been happening; he hadn't seemed surprised at all. I'd called him after I'd gotten into a fight with Sam, after Johnny had returned one of my calls while I was out on a date with her. "She's been changing a lot, D," he said.

"What?"

"You haven't noticed?"

"Well, I...no."

"Clueless," he muttered. "Danny, she's been acting completely different ever since the Disasteroid."

"What do you mean?"

"She's been clinging to you. Whenever all three of us go out, she hangs off your arm and kisses your cheek, glaring at any other girl who even looks your way."

"So, she's my girlfriend, isn't that kind of her job?"

"Whatever, Danny. She's changed."

"Tuck, she hasn't changed. She's just worried about the responsibility it would be putting on me to be Danielle's father."

"You _are_ her father. You've been worried about her ever since the first time you saved her. You can't tell it isn't killing you to not be in her life."

"It's not _killing_ me..."

"I'm just disappointed in you, Danny, and in Sam, too. She should know better than this. It isn't fair to try to make you choose between her and your daughter and it isn't fair on Danielle either."

"Tucker, I'm too young to be her father anyway. Just drop it."

"Fine, D. Look, I've gotta go. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye." I hung up and closed my eyes, feeling a serious headache coming on.


	11. Family

Hurting You, Killing Me

Chapter Ten:

Danielle's POV:

I honestly couldn't believe that Johnny and Kitty had adopted me. It just didn't seem real. I no longer felt like they were just putting up with me. They really loved me and I could see that now. But...I'd read the papers and I knew that Danny still had _some_ parental custody over me. I didn't understand why. He didn't care about me. He never really had cared about me.

I couldn't understand Danny at all, really. His gift, that ice heart, made no sense. Why would he give me something like that, or something at all?

I guess it didn't really matter. After opening all my presents, I went into my room to put them up. Danny's crystal sat on my dresser, sparkling in the light. I put all my presents up and then looked into the mirror. So much had changed in the last few months. I'd stopped wearing my hair in ponytails and it had grown long, curling down past my shoulders. I started wearing dresses and skits, things that Kitty picked out for me at first, but after awhile, I started to pick them out myself.

I wore makeup and actually looked happy. Right now, my hair was kinda messy and I was still in my pink pajamas, but I looked happy.

I could hear Johnny and Kitty talking in the living room and I smiled. I finally had a family that loved me. I couldn't even begin to explain how great that felt, knowing that I had a family to turn to.

For the first time since I was created, I honestly felt like I was wanted somewhere.


	12. Nightmare

Hurting You, Killing Me

Chapter Eleven:

**A/N: So sorry for the short chapters, just working my way up to the climax. There won't be any updates for a few days, but don't worry, I'll still be writing.**

Johnny's POV:

It was after New Year's when the first call came from Danny. I'd been out in the garage working on my bike when my cellphone rang. I looked at the screen, confused for a moment, and answered it.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"I...just wanted to check on her. Is she okay?"

"She's fine."

"I mean...is she happy?"

"Yes. Why do you care?"

"I never said I didn't care about her."

"You never said you did."

"I _do_ care about her, Johnny!"

"Could have fooled me!"

"Look, I'm too young to be her father anyway, but that doesn't mean I don't care about her and you know it!"

"Whatever. If you cared about her, you would come see her, no matter what Sam says."

"I can do whatever I want."

"But you won't."

There was a click and my phone beeped, telling me that Danny had hung up on me. I rolled my eyes, he's immaturity suited him perfectly.

Later that evening, once Danielle had gone to bed, I told Kitty about the call. "He called to check on her? Seriously?"

"Yeah." I explained about how I'd kind of told him off and he'd hung up on me.

"Maybe we shouldn't be so hard on him, Johnny," she said slowly.

"After what he did to Danielle? Yeah, I don't think so."

"Well, he's right. He _is_ young..."

"You know damn well that isn't why he won't be around her! It's Sam and we both know it!" I hated that I'd raised my voice. I tried harder than ever lately to not fight with Kitty.

"Yeah, I know. I just hate it...for both of them."

"Both of them?"

"Well, yeah. Danny has to choose between Sam and Danielle. He loves them both."

"If he really loved Danielle, he would try to explain that to Sam. I doubt he ever brings her up. He's too worried about pissing her off."

"I'm just trying to give him the benefit of the doubt, Johnny!"

"And I'm just trying to tell you that he's worthless and needs to stay out of _our_ daughter's life!"

"She's his daughter, too, Johnny, and he's only fifteen."

"I don't care, that doesn't make up for the way he's treated her."

Kitty sighed, "You're right. It doesn't."

"I'm right?"

"Yes, Johnny. But don't get used to it," she said smiling at me.

I leaned over and kissed her, just as Danielle called from her bedroom. "Kitty! Johnny!"

I jumped up and ran down the hall with Kitty following me. I threw open Danielle's door and flipped on her light, sitting up in her bed with tears streaming down her face.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" I asked, sitting down next to her.

"I had a nightmare," she said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Do you want to tell us about it?" Kitty asked.

"It was about Vlad. Danny didn't get there in time and Vlad melted me!"

"It was just a dream, honey," I whispered, smoothing down her hair.

"I know, but..." she started crying again.

"I know, I know," I said, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her close to me.

Kitty smiled at me. "Do you want to sleep our room tonight?" she asked.

Danielle nodded and I lifted her into my arms, carrying her into mine and Kitty's room. I laid her in the center of the bed and Kitty and I climbed in on either side of her. I pulled the blankets up around her up and she fell asleep, seeming perfectly content.


	13. The Promise

Hurting You, Killing Me

Chapter Twelve:

**A/N: Okay, I'll be skipping forward in the story a bit here, about a year or so. Also, I may be switching POV's in this chapter so that it won't be as short. I have one question, how much would you guys hate me if Danny's new girlfriend ended up being Star by the end of this story?**

Danielle's POV:

I'd been living with Kitty and Johnny for a little over a year and I loved it. I really felt like I belonged here. They'd even checked and found out when my "birthday" was so that they could throw me a party.

It wasn't a big deal, but it was great. My favorite gift, though, was the necklace Johnny had gotten for me. My heart necklace had broken only a few weeks before, so Johnny bought me a new one, only this one said _Daddy's Girl_. I cried when I opened it, but so did Kitty.

She didn't know that Johnny had bought it and was completely shocked. I really was starting to think of Kitty and Johnny as my parents, even though I still thought of Danny as my father, too. I wasn't going to think about it too much, though, because Danny wasn't around, and Johnny was. Johnny obviously loved me more than Danny ever had.

Johnny and Kitty were my family now, and I would just have to get used to the fact that Danny didn't want me.

After my birthday party, Kitty realized that they would have to enroll me in school eventually. The only problem was, Johnny didn't want me near Danny at all. Finally, after Johnny went on and on about how he was, by no means, letting me go to Casper, Kitty suggested online classes.

I was fine with that, so they signed me up to take classes on the computer. Since I was Danny's...clone, I was able to skip right up to the ninth grade. The work wasn't that hard and Kitty and Johnny helped me whenever I needed it.

Everything was getting easier. Ember and I were becoming friends. Everything finally seemed perfect for once, despite the nightmares.

I still had them occasionally, terrifying dreams where Danny didn't save me and Vlad managed to melt me. Sometimes I still wake up crying, and Johnny or Kitty has to stay with me until I calm down. I could never tell them the real reason I spend so long crying after those dreams.  
I just couldn't get past the fact that Danny had been the one to save me, that he was the one I relied on to save me... that after all of that, he rejected me. That still hurt, no matter how much Kitty and Johnny loved me.

I hid it from them; I didn't want them to think that they weren't doing enough, because they were. They were doing everything they could for me and I loved them, but I still wanted Danny in my life. I couldn't explain it. I looked up to him for so long; he'd been my hero. And that part of me was still there, the part that wanted him to be my father.

Danny's POV:

I would never admit it to Sam, maybe not even Tucker, but I wanted Danielle to be my daughter. Even now, a year after I'd signed those papers, giving nearly full custody to Johnny and Kitty. Danielle should have been my daughter. I should have been the one to take care of her and be there for her, but I was stupid. I doubted that she would even want me in her life now, but I still called them to check on her.

I called Kitty the day after my sixteenth birthday. "Hello?" she answered.

"Kitty, it's Danny, is Danielle okay?"

"She's fine."

. "Danny, if something ever happened to her, I would call you."

"Okay," I said.

"And you know Johnny and I won't let anything happen to her."

"I know," I said. "I just... Kitty, I know what Johnny thinks, but I love her."

"Then why won't you come see her?"

"I...I can't do that to Sam, Kitty. I know what you guys think, but..."

"I'm not going to berate you about this. I think your conscience will do that enough."

"Just... Promise me, Kitty, that you and Johnny won't let anything happen to her and that you will let me know if anything ever happens." There was a moment of awkward silence, in which I feared her answer, but after that moment, Kitty made the promise.

"I promise, Danny," she said.

"Thank you."

"Look, I have to go. Johnny will be back with Danielle any minute and..." she trailed off.

"You don't want her to know that I called," I finished for her.

"Yeah," she replied, sounding almost apologetic.

"Bye," I said. I hung up quickly, to avoid another completely awkward silence.

Kitty's POV:

I knew that making the promise was something I should have discussed with Johnny first, but I knew he wouldn't have liked it. I couldn't help but feel sorry for Danny, if only just a little. I honestly believed that he loved Danielle, but I knew Sam was keeping him from doing anything about it.

The night he called, Johnny had taken Danielle out for ice cream. I'd stayed home, seeing as I'd spent most of the day shopping with her. When Danny called, I was expecting it. I knew he'd called Johnny recently and I knew that Johnny hadn't been overly friendly, so I figured that Danny would call me instead of him this time.

Of course, at the time, I hadn't known that there would ever be a reason for me to have to keep that promise to him. To have to call him and tell him that something had gone wrong.


	14. The Beginning

Hurting You, Killing Me

Chapter Thirteen:

Johnny's POV:

We'd had Danielle for almost three years and not once had anything gone wrong, until she got sick. It started out simple. She woke up with a sore throat and a cough one morning. That was it. Kitty gave her some cough medicine and instead of going to Ember's concert with Kitty, Danielle spent that night watching movies with me on the couch in the living room.

She seemed to be getting better by the time she fell asleep, though she coughed in her sleep for a bit. By the time Kitty got home, Danielle's cough had vanished and I had carried her to her bed and tucked her in. Kitty still seemed worried and, though I would never have admitted it to her, I was still worried too.

Some time during the night, Danielle woke up. She called from her bedroom, loud enough to wake up Kitty, at least. She got out of the bed so fast that it startled me awake. "Kitty?" I asked, as she practically flew out of our room.

After a short moment, it registered, and I was running into Danielle's room. She was propped up in her bed with Kitty holding back her hair as she vomited into a trashcan.

"Shit," I mumbled. I crossed the room and rubbed Danielle's back as she finished throwing up.

She fell back onto her pillows, exhausted. "I'll get you some water, sweetheart," I told her.

I walked to the kitchen and by the time I came back with a glass of water, she was leaning over the trashcan again. Kitty shot me a near panicked look over her head. I shook my head, trying to make her feel less panicked, even though I was freaking out on the inside.

When Danielle finished again, I handed her the glass and let her have a few sips of water. Kitty stood up. "I'm going to go wash out the trashcan and see if I can find some anti-nausea medicine."

I nodded and scooted closer to Danielle, placing my hand to her forehead; she felt warm. I wasn't sure how this whole thing worked. She was only a half-ghost, so was it normal for her to be sick?

"Danielle?" I asked. "Have you ever been sick before?"

She shook her head weakly and I felt my stomach drop with worry. Kitty walked back into the room then, holding the trashcan and a bottle of pink medicine. "Honey," she said to Danielle, handing me the trashcan and pouring some of the pink liquid into the cap, "this will help you feel better."

Danielle nodded, swallowing the medicine and handing Kitty back the cap. "Johnny, can I talk to you for a minute?" Kitty asked.

I handed Danielle the trashcan and leaned in to kiss her forehead, "We'll be right back."

I followed Kitty outside to the hallway, pulling the door slightly closed behind me. "Johnny, you're going to hate this, but I think we should call Danny."

"Are you kidding?" I asked. "Like he would even care, and besides, it's nearly midnight."

"Johnny, he's half-ghost. He might know more about this than we do."

I sighed, shifting my weight, "Fine. Let's call him."

I watched as Kitty pulled out her cellphone, but then I turned and walked back into Danielle's room. I didn't want to be away from her and I didn't want to hear the conversation that was about to take place.


	15. Not A Hero

Hurting You, Killing Me

Chapter Fourteen:

Danny's POV:

Of all times for Kitty to call, I had to be out on a date with Sam. Of course, we were driving home by the time she called, but that didn't stop Sam from glaring at me silently when I answered.

"Kitty?" I answered, simply for the benefit of Sam, so that she would know who I was talking to.

"Danny," she choked, sounding on the verge of tears.

"Kitty, what's wrong?" I asked, my own voice shaking somewhat now.

"Danielle is sick."

"Sick?" I asked. "Sick how?"

"She's...she's throwing up. Johnny and I were wondering if that was normal for a...a half-ghost."

I tried to think clearly, but it was hard with Sam glaring at me and with Kitty sounding so worried. "Well, I've never...I haven't gotten sick like that since before...the accident."

I heard Kitty's gasp and I could almost feel her worry through the phone, so I quickly continued. "But I don't think it's anything but, you know, the flu."

"Have you been sick before?"

"Yeah, with a cold. Don't worry. I'm sure...I'm sure she'll be fine in a few days."

"Well...okay," Kitty said slowly.

I knew she was about to hang up, but I wanted to be sure that she knew that I still wanted her to call me if anything happened. "Kitty?" I asked softly.

"Yes?"

"Call me if she gets worse," I said, my voice barely louder than a whisper.

"I will." And then she hung up. Slowly, I lowered my phone from my ear and slipped it back into my pocket, sighing as I heard Sam take a breath, preparing to speak.

"Who's sick?" she asked, her voice oddly calm.

"Danielle..." I replied, keeping my eyes trained on the road, my hands tensing on the steering wheel.

"Oh?" Sam said. "Sick how?" she asked, mimicking my words from earlier.

"She's throwing up," I explained, feeling uncomfortable talking about this with her.

"You're not going to go rushing off into the Ghost Zone?"

"No... I'm actually I'm kind of tire. I'll probably go to bed after I get home."

"Oh, okay," Sam said.

I pulled into her driveway and stopped the car. "Goodnight," I said.

"Goodnight, Danny." She climbed out of the car without leaning over to kiss me goodnight. It was then that I finally realized that she was changing.

My parents were in bed when I got home, so I went up to my room quietly, crawling into bed. I hated myself. I should be halfway to Kitty and Johnny's lair by now, but I was being a coward and hiding in my bedroom. I wasn't a superhero.


	16. A Convincing Lie

Hurting You, Killing Me

Chapter Fifteen:

Johnny's POV:

Kitty told me that Danny had assured her it was probably nothing and, somehow, we managed to convince ourselves that he was right. Danielle spent the rest of the night throwing up and by the next morning, she was exhausted. Kitty had fallen asleep at some point of the night next to Danielle on the bed. I dozed off once or twice, but I couldn't get myself to relax enough to really go to sleep. I spent most of the early morning holding back Danielle's hair, trying to let Kitty sleep.

By the afternoon of the next day, Danny had called twice. Danielle had been asleep during both times, and I'd rushed him off the phone, saying that she was asleep and I had stuff to do. I didn't want to talk to him, especially not about Danielle being sick.

Kitty woke up that evening, as I was attempting to cook dinner. "How is she?" she asked, sitting down at the bar.

"She's asleep. She still has a fever."

"Did she stop throwing up?"

"Only after she fell asleep."

"Maybe she'll feel better when she wakes up..."

"Maybe," I said, absently, pouring a box of spaghetti noodles into a pot of bowling water.

"Here, Johnny," Kitty said, taking the box out of my hand. "Let me handle that. You go and try to get some rest."

"I'm fine."

"You've been up all night, honey. Go relax." With that, she put both hands on my shoulders and shoved me out of the kitchen. I walked into the living room and sat down in the recliner After a little, Kitty walked in, "Dinner is ready."

"I'll go see if Danielle feels well enough to eat," I said, standing up.

I walked down the hall to Danielle's room. She was curled up on her side under the blankets, her face flushed. "Danielle, sweetie?" I whispered, tapping lightly on her shoulder.

"Dad- Johnny?" she asked.

"Yeah. Do you feel like eating anything?"

She shook her head and pulled her comforter tighter around her. I placed my hand on her forehead, "You still have a fever, baby. Does your stomach still hurt?"

"Yes," she answered quietly.

"Do you want to try to go back to sleep?"

She nodded, her eyes already closing. I leaned down and kissed her forehead before walking back into the kitchen. Kitty looked at me hopefully, but I only shook my head.


	17. Something Goes Wrong

Hurting You, Killing Me:

Chapter Sixteen:

**A/N: So sorry it's so short, working on a longer one.**

Kitty's POV:

It was late when Danielle woke up again. Johnny and I were prepared; or so we thought; with the trashcan this time. It was nearly one in the morning and we were both still worried, though we would never have let Danielle know.

However, it wasn't until she began vomiting up ectoplasm that we got really worried. She was retching loudly into the trashcan, sitting on Johnny's lap so that he could hold the trashcan for her, when I noticed it.

"Johnny," I whispered, sounding panicked even to my own ears. He looked up at me and I pointed to the trashcan. He peered down around Danielle and his eyes grew wide in shock.

Danielle finished throwing up and fell back against Johnny's chest, her head lolling to one side. Johnny looked at me and his eyes were fierce, "Call Danny," he said.

"Johnny, it's nearly one in the-"

"Hell, if I care. Call him. Now," he demanded, leaving no room for further argument. I took my cellphone into the hallway and closed the door behind me, listening to Johnny quietly comforting Danielle.

I quickly scrolled down to Danny's number and pressed call. He answered before the first ring was even finished. "Hello?"

"Danny, something's wrong..."


	18. Downhill From Here

Hurting You, Killing Me

Chapter Seventeen:

Danny's POV:

"Danny, something's wrong..." At those words, I could literally feel my heart rate increase and my stomach drop.

"What happened?" I asked. Sam sat beside me; we'd been in my bedroom since my parents were away on a vacation together for the weekend.

"She's...vomiting ectoplasm."

"What?" I asked, feeling my panic rising.

"I don't know why, Danny. She's really sick!" Kitty sounded as though she was about to start crying, if she wasn't already.

"Call Frostbite," I instructed, then I took one glance at Sam, giving me a death stare, and continued. "I'll be right there." I hung up and stood up, going ghost

Sam jumped up, standing in front of me with her arms crossed. "You'll be right _where_?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Danielle is really sick, Sam. I have got to go."

"Danny, please," she said, holding up one hand and pressing the other to her forehead, "Stop pretending she matters to you. We both know you just feel guilty; she's nothing to you."

"Sam...I-"

"Come on. Stay here with me." She took a step forward and tried to plant a kiss on my lips.

I pushed her away, "No, Sam. I've got to do this."

"She's just a stupid clone! She needs to just dissolve or whatever, so we can all just get on with our lives!"

That was when I snapped, "You know what, Sam?! You've become a selfish, hateful bitch! I've sat here and done everything for you for the past three and half years and all you've done is treat me like shit! It's your fault that I don't have Danielle in my life! And you know what else? From the moment I first met her, I've loved her more than anyone else in my life, including you! But I didn't realize it! I'm done with you, Sam. Danielle is my daughter and I'm going to start acting like her father! Get the hell out of my life!"

Sam stared at me with a blank expression, then snorted, "You're kidding me, right? You can't be serious."

"Oh, I am serious and I think it's time for you to leave." I placed my hands on her shoulders and guided her to my door. "And for the record, in case it hasn't been made clear enough, this is me breaking up with you." With that, I slammed the door shut in her face.

I listened for a second, until I heard the thud of Sam slamming the front door shut, then I phased down to the basement and opened the portal. I threw myself into it without a second thought, and rushed to Kitty and Johnny's lair.

When I got there, I didn't even bother to knock, I just let myself in. I saw Kitty standing in the hallway; she was on the phone with tears running down her face. She didn't seem at all shocked to me bursting through their front door. She seemed to be listening intently on the phone, so I just pointed to the door she was standing beside. She nodded, wiping under her eyes with one hand.

I pushed open the door and walked in, shutting it behind me. Johnny was sitting next to Danielle on the bed and she seemed like she was asleep, her eyes closed.

He stood up and walked over to me, glaring, "What are you doing here?" he whispered, his voice dangerously sharp.

"I came here to check on her," I said. "I dumped Sam, about five minutes ago. You guys were right."

He looked at me, opening his mouth to speak, but Danielle sat up, grabbing a trashcan, and began to throw up again. He rushed to her side, holding back her hair as she retched. It hurt me to watch.

Finally, after what felt like a very long time, she stopped and leaned back. Johnny pushed back her hair and gave her a small sip of water from a glass on her nightstand, then he kissed her forehead and she closed her eyes. I don't think she even noticed that I was there.

Kitty walked back into the room then, her eyes still red, but no more tears. "Frostbite is going to do some research and call me back..." she explained. "He said not to let her get dehydrated and if she gets much worse before he calls, then we shouldn't hesitate to take her out there."

Johnny nodded, still glaring at me. "I think we need to talk before she wakes up again," he said in a low voice that, quite honestly, kind of frightened me.

I swallowed, "Johnny, I only wanted to come check on her."

"You broke up with that psycho?" he asked.

I nodded, "You were right. I should have listened."

"What are you wanting to accomplish here? She's been hurt enough by you. You think suddenly showing up is going to fix all that?"

"No... I just want her to know that I love her. I made a mistake...a lot of mistakes."

"You know, Danny, there was a time when I had a lot of respect for you." he said. "I honestly respected the fact that you went out of your way to protect your town, I was even impressed with you. But now? No way. You're a coward and you don't deserve another chance to fix things with Danielle," he said. I started to say something, but he continued, cutting me off completely, "But you got me and Kitty back together and I owe you, so I won't make you leave. We'll just have to see what Danielle thinks."

Even though I was scared to know what Danielle might think, I was thankful that Johnny was going to at least let me try. "Thank you," I said. Kitty sat down on the chair at the vanity mirror and I sat down on the little bench at the foot of the bed, finally taking the time to look around.

The room was incredible, designed completely in white and dark red. She had her own television and her own bathroom, that seemed to be decorated in white and pink. Her closet door was ajar just a bit and I could see a bunch of white dresses, things I would never have thought that Dani might like...then again, she wasn't Dani anymore, it seemed. She was Danielle.

And, even though the room was only lit by her bedside lamp and the lava lamp on her dresser, I could still see the ice crystal heart I'd given her, sitting on dresser. Somehow, the simple fact that she'd kept it, made me feel so much better about being here.

Kitty crossed her legs and cleared her throat, seeming as uncomfortable as I felt. It was awhile before Danielle woke up again, and in that time, no one spoke. I felt awkward, just sitting there, as Johnny hovered protectively over Danielle, as though my very presence in the room could hurt her...which, maybe, wasn't so far from the truth.

Johnny's POV:

I didn't dislike the fact that Danny was there; I _hated_ it. I didn't want him anywhere around Danielle. I didn't want him to speak to her. I didn't want him to sit there and act like he had no idea what he was doing for the past few years. It made me sick to think about it.

She may have been created by his genes, but it was _me_ who'd been by her side. I was the one who comforted her after nightmares, I was the one who spent every day with her, making sure she knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I loved her. He had done nothing but treat her like something he could just drop and walk away from.

Despite all that, I _didn't_ hate Danny. I couldn't hate him; it was because of him that I had Danielle in my life. Kitty and I were complete now that she was with us. Kitty and Danielle were my entire world.

When Danielle woke up again, none of us were prepared for the words that she said. "Daddy?" she asked.

At first, I thought she was talking to Danny. I honestly did. But...she was looking straight at me. Of course, I'd heard her slip up earlier, when she'd said _Dad_ instead of Johnny, but I honestly thought it was just that, a slip up, a mistake.

I didn't hesitate to scoop her into my arms, noting that she was still wearing the _Daddy's Girl_ necklace I'd given to her. I glanced at Kitty, who smiled at me lovingly. Then...I looked at Danny, catching as envy and pain flashed in his eyes.

Danny's POV:

When Danielle woke up, she asked for her _daddy_, but I knew she wasn't talking about me me... She wanted _him_. She wanted Johnny.

I'd lost my chance to be her father nearly four years ago. Don't get me wrong, I was thankful that Johnny and Kitty stepped in, but I envied them greatly. There wasn't a second that went by in the past four years that I hadn't thought about Danielle, about my daughter.

It was when Johnny scooped her into his arms that I noticed the necklace she was wearing. _Daddy's Girl_, it said. It was silver and sparkled in the dim light. I didn't want to think about it, the fact that she was wearing that necklace, or the fact that she'd just called Johnny _daddy_, but I couldn't forget what I'd just heard and seen.

I was so jealous, as I watched him hold _my_ daughter. My heart felt like it was being torn out as I watched her look up at him, at how, even being so sick, she seemed to light up just by being in his arms. My eyes darted around the room as I tried to find anything else to look at than the scene in front of me. Unfortunately, my eyes landed on Kitty, who was gazing lovingly at the two of them.

Suddenly, I felt like an intruder. Danielle wasn't mine anymore; she never really was. What kind of person was I, to ignore her for all these years, then suddenly want to be in her life? I didn't know what she knew of why I hadn't been in her life. I didn't think she even knew that I called every month to check on her.

It suddenly occurred to me that I knew nothing about her anymore. She used to be just like me, but it was obvious that she wasn't anymore. I looked at Johnny again and saw that Danielle had drifted back to sleep. I was in too much pain to think clearly. Danielle was my daughter, but I had lost her.

Danielle's POV:

The word slipped out before I could stop it. _Daddy. _But all Johnny did was pulled me into his arms, cradling me like I was a baby. I felt awful and sleepy, but I kept my eyes open long enough to see someone else in the room with me, Johnny, and Kitty. Danny?

I must have been hallucinating, there was no way that Danny was here. Why would he be here anyway? It wasn't as though he actually wanted anything to do with me. But...it had seemed so real.

I stopped thinking about it, though, because I wanted to try to sleep before I threw up again. When I did wake up, I saw Danny sitting on the bench at the foot of by bed, watching me with concern in his eyes. "Danny?" I asked, right before throwing up again.

As I threw up, I was hardly aware of what was going on around me, but I knew I was being shifted around. When I finally relaxed, now exhausted, I realized it was no longer Johnny who was holding me. I looked up to see that it Danny whose arms were wrapped protectively around me now.

I couldn't help but feel weird. _Why_ was Danny here? And furthermore, _why_ the _hell_ was he holding me? After four years of being completely uninvolved in my life, he just suddenly shows up?

That just wasn't adding up. He wasn't supposed to care about me, he wasn't supposed to be in my life.

I took a deep breath and grimaced, trying to keep myself from throwing up again, and looked up at him, "Why are you here?" I asked, trying my best to sound fierce.

"I..." he trailed off. "Dani..."

"That is _not_ my name anymore," I said, pushing myself up.

I immediately doubled over. Johnny passed Danny the trashcan and he put it under my chin, right as I heaved into it.

Once I finished throwing up, Johnny walked over and opened his arms, "I think your time's up, Danny," he said.

Danny started to lift me up. "No!" I moaned, clinging to his shirt. I didn't want them to move me because I'd only throw up more. I hid my face in Danny's chest, "I want my daddy!"

I kept my face hidden, but I could hear the three of them talking. Danny and Johnny were whispering furiously, as though they didn't want me to hear them. Kitty was speaking quietly and I could hear that she was trying to get them to get along.

"Guys, none of that is important right now. This is about Danielle."

"Danny, just give her to me," Johnny hissed.

"She didn't want to go to you!"

"She didn't want to move because she'd throw up. You don't know anything about her!"

"What's there to know?! She's my clone!"

"You're so full of shit! She is so much more than a clone!"

"I never said she wasn't!"

"Look, Danny, if you knew anything about her, you'd know she hates that word!"

"_I _hate that word! She was mine long before she was yours!"

"She never _was_ yours!"

"Stop!" I managed to mumble. I gathered up all my strength and yelled my next words so loudly that they were accompanied by a small ghostly wail. "I want Kitty!"

Everyone shut up and Danny immediately put me into Kitty's arms. Kitty held me, holding the trashcan for me again, and told Johnny and Danny to take it outside. There was an unspoken threat in her words; if they didn't work it out themselves, _she_ would.

I watched as Johnny and Danny walked out of the room, Johnny slamming the door behind them. I looked at Kitty, "I'm worried about them..."

"Don't be. They're the adults and I'm going to make sure that they start acting like it."


	19. Far Frozen

Hurting You, Killing Me

Chapter Eighteen:

Johnny's POV:

I slammed the door behind me as I followed Danny out of Danielle's room. "Look, punk," I said, jabbing my finger toward his chest. "You have no right to sit there and act like she's ever been more to you than an object!"

"You _know_ damn well that she meant more to me than that!"

"No, actually, I don't! You never acted like she mattered to you!"

"I called every month, didn't I? I asked about her and made sure she was okay!"

"You weren't _here_, Danny! You weren't here every night that she had nightmares, you didn't hold her every single time she woke up crying!"

I realized that our voices were getting louder, and I had heard the silent threat in Kitty's voice before we walked out, but I didn't really care. "Johnny! I _know _I made a dumb mistake! I understand that! I was an idiot! I'm here _now_ though, why can't you just let it go?" Danny shouted.

"Because you _hurt_ her! She's a little girl, Danny, a _little girl_! She looked up to you, thinking you would always be there to save her, and you completely broke that trust she had in you!"

"I never meant to hurt her!"

"Yeah? That still doesn't change the fact that _you did_!"

The door we were standing in front of suddenly swung open, "Both of you," Kitty snapped, closing the door behind her, her cellphone clenched tightly in her hand, "stop acting like children! Danielle is scared, sick, and needs you both! Frostbite just called, but I told him I'd call right back. You two need to get in there and be there for her! Johnny, you're always harping on Danny about how he isn't there for her, and look what you're doing right now! Stop being a hypocrite!" With that, she stormed down the hall, into our bedroom, and slammed the door shut.

I looked at Danny for a second, then turned and walked into Danielle's bed; he followed behind me.

Danielle was lying in her bed, her eyes closed, her breathing shallow. "Danielle, honey, are you awake?"

She opened her eyes and looked up at me, "Yes," she whispered.

I brushed her hair out of her face and leaned down to kiss her forehead; she was burning up. "Is Danny still here?" she asked.

"Yes, sweetheart, he's right here," I said, waving him over.

He walked over and I stepped out of his way, "Hi, Danielle," he said quietly.

"Danny," she said, her voice breaking as tears filled her eyes.

He took her hand, "What is it, baby?"

"I-I'm sorry," she sobbed suddenly.

Danny shot me a startled look, but I only shrugged, hoping he would know how to handle her. "Shh," he whispered, pulling her into his arms gently. "Don't be sorry. Don't ever be sorry."

"If I hadn't been created, none of you would ever have to put up with me!"

It took everything in me not to take her from him then, to hold her and tell her how much I loved her, but I knew this was something he had to fix.

"Danielle, don't ever think that way!" he said. "_I_ was stupid, baby. I made a decision and it was the wrong one, but there was a second that passed that I wasn't thinking of you."

"You weren't here," she whimpered.

"I know and I am so, _so_ sorry."

"I needed you! Danny, you were _never_ there! I was all alone!"

"Dani-"

"That's not my name anymore!"

"Danielle, I-"

"Get away from me! I hate y-" she cut off, leaning forward. I lurched across the room and put the trashcan under her chin just in time for her to vomit. It was a waterfall of bright green ectoplasm. Tears were streaking down her face and, with one hand, she was clutching Danny's hand.

I was expecting her to lean back, exhausted, like she had been doing, but she didn't. She fell to the side; Danny barely had time to register that she was unconscious and catch her before she fell.

In a moment of panic, he shoved her into my arms. I cradled her like a baby. "Go get Kitty Now!" I snapped.

Danny ran from the room and I sat down on the bed, balancing Danielle on my lap. "Danielle, honey?" I asked, patting the side of her face gently. She was breathing and had a pulse, but she was completely unconscious.

Kitty and Danny ran back into the room. Kitty still had her cellphone pressed to her ear, but tears were streaming down her face. "Okay. Okay. Be right there." She snapped her phone shut. "What happened?" she asked.

"She threw up and passed out!" I yelled. "What did Frostbite say?"

"He wants us to take her out there."

"Then let's go!" I grabbed a blanket off of the foot of her bed and draped it around her, then started toward the door.

"Johnny!" Kitty called. I stopped, one foot out the door, and turned to look at her.

"What?" I asked.

"Let Danny take her and we'll meet him out there."

I looked at her, completely appalled at the idea, but the look on her face clearly meant that she did not want me to argue. I placed Danielle gently into Danny's arms, then clamped my hand down tightly on his shoulder.

"Take care of her," I growled.

He nodded, "I will."

Once he left, I turned to Kitty, "Why would you do that?" I asked.

"Because I needed to talk to you and I know he is perfectly capable of getting her out there by himself."

"Talk to me about what, Kitty?" I exploded. "Danielle is obviously very sick and I would like to actually be with her!"

"Johnny, listen to me! I totally get that you're mad at Danny for what he did to Danielle. You act as if it didn't piss me off, too. I understand how angry you are, but yelling at him and making a scene in front of Danielle while she's so sick isn't the best idea! All it does is upset her!"

I sighed, backing down, "You're right. I'm sorry. I won't fight with him in front of her anymore. Can we please get out there now?"

"Yes."

Kitty and I threw on our jackets and I started the motorcycle. I drove faster than I ever had before. I was scared and that wasn't something I was used to.

Danny's POV:

Frostbite was waiting for me when I got to the Far Frozen. He seemed a bit surprised that it was me and not Kitty or Johnny, but he didn't comment on it. He simply took Danielle from me, who was still unconscious, and told me to wait in the waiting room until he had her settled in.

The Medical Facility in the Far Frozen was one of the most high tech places I'd ever been. It was just about the only building that wasn't made out of ice and that actually had a heater, but everything in it seemed to be white.

I sat down on one of the clear, ice-looking chairs, but I couldn't stand it; I got up and started pacing the room. I was worried and upset and guilty. I should never have treated her the way I did. I should have been here for her, instead of pretending not to care.

I was still waiting to hear from Frostbite when Johnny and Kitty burst into the room. "Where is she?" Johnny asked.

"Frostbite took her back to a room. He told me to wait in her until he gets her settled in," I explained.

I swear, if looks could kill, I would have dropped dead from the glare Johnny gave me. "How long has he been back there?"

"Twenty minutes," I replied immediately, knowing only because I'd been counting the seconds since Frostbite had taken her out of my arms.

"He had better hurry up," Johnny huffed, sitting down in one of the chairs and crossing his arms over his chest.

Kitty sat beside him and placed her hand on his shoulder. He shrugged her hand off roughly and she folded her hands in her lap. I looked away, feeling like I was intruding.

It was then that Frostbite walked back into the room. Johnny jumped up. "Well?"

"I've got her settled in a room. I'm going to run some tests and see what I can figure out, but I will take you all back to see her now."

Johnny nodded. Frostbite led us down the hallway to the room Danielle was in. After what she'd said before she passed out, I was a little bit worried as to how she would react when she saw me. She was propped up in a hospital bed in the center of the room, her eyes half closed.

"Kitty?" Frostbite asked quietly. "May I speak to you for a moment?"

Kitty kissed Danielle on the forehead, then walked out of the room.

Kitty's POV:

I stepped out into the hall with Frostbite. "What is it?" I asked, apprehensive about leaving Danielle alone with Johnny and Danny.

"She's very sick, Kitty. I've run a few tests on her blood and ectoplasm samples, but the results won't be here for awhile. The best case scenario is that she just has a bad case of the Ecto-flu. The worse case scenario is that she has a rare disintegrating disease that is eating apart her DNA."

I felt myself go pale at the possibility. "Can that be cured?"

Frostbite smiled sadly, "There is a cure, but in most cases, the patient is too far gone. And with Danielle having been unstable before, it would probably make the disease worse for her."

"Frostbite, you have to try!"

"Kitty, I promise, I will do everything in my power to make sure that we save her."

I nodded, biting my lower lip in an effort to keep myself from crying again. "Why don't you go back in there with her now?" he suggested. "I'll be sure to tell you as soon as we get the results."

I walked back into the room to find Danielle asleep. Johnny was standing over her protectively and Danny was at the foot of the bed, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Johnny, Danny..." I said, my voice trembling.

Johnny walked over to me and pulled me into his arms. "What is it, honey?" he asked.

"Frostbite is running some tests, but...but..." I broke down in tears.

"But what, Kitty?" Danny asked.

"Frostbite said she could either have a bad case of Ecto-flu..." I trailed off, clinging to Johnny's jacket. "Or...or a rare disintegrating disease."

"Disintegrating disease?" Johnny asked.

"It's a disease that eats apart her DNA. And because of her unstable nature, it would probably be worse," I explained between sobs.

"Is there a cure?" Danny asked through his teeth.

"Yes, but the patient is usually too far gone." I couldn't force myself to keep talking; I broke down in tears again, bawling my eyes out.

"Kitty, honey, I'm sure Frostbite will take care of her," Johnny promised, stroking my hair. I tried to calm myself, all any of us could do for now is wait for the results to come in.

Johnny's POV:

Danielle had been asleep since Frostbite had let us come back to see her. He assured us it was just because he'd given her a light anesthetic. It was getting late and Frostbite still hadn't gotten the results back. Danny was slouched over on the uncomfortable, vinyl couch in the corner of the room; he was snoring. Kitty was on a chair next to the hospital bed, she had her knees drawn to her chest and was sleeping lightly. I was sitting on the foot of the bed, trying my hardest to stay awake.

I had a Styrofoam cup of coffee in my hand, but it was cold; it had been steaming when I'd got it. I got up and dropped it into the trashcan, then sat back down.

I looked up at the clock, for what had to be the thousandth time in the last hour. It was almost midnight. I heard the door open and looked up; Frostbite had walked in, holding a file in his hands.

Kitty woke up, seeming immediately alert, and she nudged Danny awake. "Well?" I asked.

"I'm afraid she has the disintegrating disease."

I looked at Kitty, sure she was about to burst into tears, but Frostbite continued. "Luckily, we've caught it fast enough that we can start the treatment."

"So what are her chances?"

"I'd say about 40/60 in her favor."

"When are you going to start treatment?"

"Well, her anesthesia should be wearing off in a little bit, so as soon as she wakes up. I'll need time to prepare the serum anyway."

"Serum? What serum?"

"It's an antidote for the disease. An antitoxin of sorts. You see, when she was created, Vlad must have allowed the toxin, Hyglotelin, to be mixed into her DNA."

"What's Hyglotelin?"

"It's a toxic chemical in ectoplasm. A small amount of it needs to be in you at all times, to keep you alive, in a sense, but Danielle's body has too much of it. Vlad must have been overcompensating for the fact that she has more human DNA than ghost DNA. Most ghosts, when making the transition from human to ghost, experience this as soon as they become ghosts."

"But Vlad and I didn't..." Danny said.

"You were both created by a shock to your system. That's more natural. Danielle was created in a completely different way. Vlad didn't measure anything correctly and that's what's caused this now."

"She was fine for all these years, though," I pointed out.

"Not necessarily. She wasn't aging correctly, right? That was due to her DNA sequencing."

"Are you saying we could have caught this and fixed it sooner?"

"No," Frostbite quickly reassured me. "This disease doesn't show up on tests until the patient starts to get sick. I'm going to go mix the serum, if she wakes up sick before I get back, don't hesitate to come get me."

"Thank you, Frostbite," I said.

"Anytime." He walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.

Danielle's POV:

I was slightly frightened when I woke up and found Kitty, Johnny, and Danny all standing above me. "What's going on?" I asked.

To my surprise, Kitty burst into tears and Johnny stood silent like a stone. It was Danny, of all people, who took my hand and held onto it tightly. _Now,_ I was really frightened.

"What?" I asked again.

Johnny cleared his throat and stepped forward. Danny backed away, giving my hand a final squeeze before dropping it, and wrapped his arm around Kitty's shoulder. Johnny, the man I know thought of as my father, sat on the edge of the bed beside me. "Danielle, honey, this is going to be hard to explain," he began. "You're very sick with a degenerating disease."

I felt my breath catch in my throat at that word. I was instantly petrified. Johnny continued quickly, "But Frostbite has a serum that can cure it. He's getting it right now and everything will be okay."

"Are you sure?" I asked, my voice quiet.

"Yes," he replied, leaning down to kiss my forehead.


End file.
